Blow (TKO #3) (2 page)

“Want to sleep here?” She yawns. I know I should probably say no, but I say yes knowing that with Austin coming to stay, nights like this may cease to exist. I climb into her bed fully clothed.

My arm snakes around her waist and it doesn’t take long before my breathing matches hers. Exhaustion hit me and I didn’t even realize I was this tired. When I wake, my arm is still in the same position which must mean I slept better than I have in a long time.

Chapter 2

Tamilyn

The sound of the faucet running in the bathroom reminds me Ruston is still here. I remember asking him to stay the night. It’s not uncommon for us. I mean, we are best friends. We’ve been that way since the days of drool and soggy diapers. I honestly don’t know what I would do without him in my life. I climb out of bed and stare down at the same clothes I had on yesterday. I was so tired, I passed out before the movie was over and I never bothered to get up and change. Before he can exit the bathroom, I hurry and change into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. I know we’ve seen each other in all kinds of scenarios having grown up together, but I’m always respectful of myself and Ruston when it comes to changing. I know we’re adults, but we’re human and the human mind has its own way of thinking when it comes to the opposite sex. I can’t lie and say I’ve never snuck a peek at his bare stomach when his shirt has crept up just a little. He’s extremely attractive. His green eyes are always sparkling and when he smiles, his dimple forms just right. Any girl would be lucky to have him but he doesn’t date. I don’t know that I’d be able to share him if I had to.

My thoughts evaporate into the air as the door opens. Ruston walks out and smiles. “You finally decided to wake up?”

“Yeah, I guess I did. Sorry I fell asleep so quick last night. I didn’t realize how tired I was.”

“It’s okay. Shit happens, Tam. I’m glad we hung out. You’re my favorite girl.” He winks.

“I doubt that. You’ve seen all my embarrassing moments.”

“And you’ve seen mine, so your point is?”

“I have no point. You’re right. Want some breakfast or something? I have waffles, toast, Pop Tarts…” I could rattle on a few more things but he cuts me off.

“Pop Tarts sound amazing. You have s’mores, right?”

“It’s the only kind I eat, so what else would I have?” I brush past him on my way out of the room. My arm brushes against his and I stop. The weirdest tingle just moved throughout my body and I’m not used to that. I look at him to see if maybe he felt it too but he says nothing so I shake my head, trying not to laugh at myself as I disappear into the kitchen.

I open the pantry where I keep my food and fumble for the box of Pop Tarts. The box slips from my grasp and falls to the floor.
What a klutz.
Ruston’s laugh fills the air and he reaches down to grab them for me.

“Thanks,” I mumble.

“You’re welcome, Tam.” He pulls out two packs of Pop Tarts and brings them to my toaster. Two by two, he heats them up and places them on two paper towels. “I’ll pour the milk, butterfingers. I’d hate to have to laugh at you mopping milk off the floor.”

“You’re an asshole.” I laugh as he reaches for two glasses in the cabinet. Yep, his shirt just crept up a little and I glance to see the little bit of skin that shows. I break my gaze away before he turns around. I’ve never been caught. That could end up being awkward. I plop myself down in a chair at the table and wait patiently for him to serve breakfast.

“Here you go. Can you feed yourself or do you need me to do that for you too?” He bites into his Pop Tart.

“I am fully capable, thank you.” Rolling my eyes, I take a big bite and chew it slowly. I glance at the clock to check the time. I need to get going soon. I told my mom I’d go cut their grass. I’m off work again today for which I’m grateful. I’ve been working a lot and I need this break. “I hate to cut this short but I told my parents I’d cut their grass while they were gone. I want to get it done before it gets too hot outside.”

“Do you need some help? I can help, you know. I don’t have anything going on.”

“You sure? You don’t have to work today?”

“Nope. I’m off just like you. How cool is that?”

I laugh as I finish drinking my milk. “Cool, I guess.”

“You want my help or not?”

“Sure. When’s your cousin coming?” I ask out of curiosity. I wonder if I’d even recognize him.

“Good question. I have no clue. I’ll call Mom and ask her later. Let’s go get dirty, Tam.” He grins as he slides the chair out from the table. He places his cup in the dishwasher and tosses his paper towel in the trashcan. Domesticated men are so attractive.

I sigh, pulling myself out of the chair. I take care of my mess and retreat to my bedroom to get my socks and shoes on. Ruston is waiting by the door for me, his keys in hand. “Want to just ride together and save gas? I’ll drive.”

“How thoughtful of you! Sounds great.” We walk out of my apartment.

My parents were great helping me get this apartment. I wanted to be out on my own and they helped me. I pay my own bills and supply my own groceries. They don’t do any of that for me. They taught me growing up how to take care of myself and how to budget my money. I learned well. I started my own photography business right out of college. I’ve only been doing it for about a year but I love it and my clients are amazing. I make my own hours and most importantly, I make people shine.

Ruston drives us the few blocks to my parents’ house. It’s so weird not seeing them here but their vacation was important for them. I unlock the side gate and let us into the backyard. Dad hides the shed key inside one of the hanging flower pots. He’s so unoriginal but I don’t have the heart to tell him that. I reach in and grab it. Ruston puts his hands up so I toss it to him. He unlocks the door and disappears inside. The shed is huge. It’s like a mini episode of
Hoarders
but much more organized inside. I’m almost worried he’s lost until he reappears with the lawnmower.

“I’ll do the back and you can do the front.” He grins at me.

“I can do it all, Rus. You don’t have to do this.”

“I know, but I want to.” He pulls his shirt off. My jaw hits the floor at the sight of his immaculate body. Who am I to argue with him now? He turns away from me and starts the lawnmower up. I stare like a crazy person as he makes his way around the backyard.

I walk over to the patio furniture and sit at the table. A vibration moves the table and I see his phone going off. I never even saw him set it down.

A text message sits there and his cousin’s name pops up. I try to wave Ruston down but he’s so into cutting the grass that he doesn’t see me. I don’t touch his phone. I don’t want to pry into something that isn’t my business so I wait patiently for him.

I’m so lost in my own thoughts that I don’t even notice the lawnmower is no longer running. I don’t even notice Ruston is standing beside me so close I could almost feel the beads of sweat running down his chest.

“Your turn, Tammy Lou.”

I turn my head abruptly to face him. My tongue sticks out at him as he calls me by my old childhood name. He has never forgotten that one. With time, I’d hoped he would have moved on but I’m still Tammy Lou to him.

“All right, asshole. Oh, your cousin texted you while you were cutting.” I stand and walk toward the lawnmower.

“What did he say?”

“I didn’t check. It’s not my phone.”

“You know I don’t care. What could I possibly have to hide from you?”

“No clue.” I push the lawnmower toward the gate. I don’t turn back to see or hear what he has to say. I’m just ready to cut the grass and get this mess over with.

The lawnmower roars to life and I begin pushing through the lush green grass ahead of me. The front yard is much smaller than the back so I’ll be done in no time. I hum to myself as I cut, knowing good and well that I can’t even hear myself. When I finish, I push the mower back to the shed and lock it behind me. I put the key back in the secret hiding spot and collapse back into the chair I sat in before.

“You all worn out, Tammy Lou?” Ruston grins from the chair beside me.

“Nah, I’m just a little hot. It is pretty much summertime, you know.”

“I just got done talking to Austin. He’ll be here tonight. I was thinking of maybe taking him to have a drink at that bar, Joe’s. Want to come?”

I sigh. As appealing as that sounds, something just feels a little off about it to me. I don’t remember his cousin all that much, and intruding is the last thing I want to do. “Eh, I should probably just stay home. You can have guys’ night or whatever y’all call it.”

“You’re a killjoy, Tammy Lou, you know that? Do you have something to knit?”

I cross my arms over my chest and glare at him. “You know what? If it will make you leave me the hell alone, then I’ll go. Right now, I’d like to go shower and get out of these sweat infested clothes if you don’t mind.”

“Yes, ma’am, and thanks by the way.”

“The things I do for you. Why can’t I just have girlfriends like normal girls?”

“Because…what is it you said in high school? You don’t have time for all the bullshit drama girls carry around.” He smirks.

He’s right. That’s the exact reason. Ruston understood me in ways no female ever could. He didn’t judge me when my hair wasn’t fixed just right or when my clothes didn’t fit the way I wanted them to. He would just laugh and tell me to chill out, that everything was all right. He would tell me I didn’t need anyone’s approval so I believed him and our bond grew stronger than ever.

I lock the gate behind me and walk toward his truck. “You know, if you ever get tired of me, all you have to do is say so.”

“Shut the hell up, Tam. If I wanted to get tired of you, it would have been a long ass time ago. You’re my best friend, plain and simple.”

He’s right like always, and I guess that’s another thing I like about him. He’s never steered me wrong and I know he never will. It’s one of those things you just know. He’s pretty much everything I’ll ever need, but there’s no way he actually feels that way about me.

Chapter 3

Ruston

I left Tamilyn at her apartment a few hours ago. She said she needed to edit some photographs before we went anywhere. She’s great at what she does. Mom had her take our Christmas photos last year. When Tamilyn refused payment, my mom insisted on paying her with wine. Lots of wine. As much as I want to be able to spend a little more time with her, I know I have a few things to do to get my apartment ready for Austin. I’m not sure how to react to seeing someone for the first time in ten years. He’s going to be living in my spare bedroom. I don’t know what kind of roommate he’s going to turn out to be. Hell, if we don’t get along, I don’t know what we’ll do. The guest room door stays shut ninety-nine percent of the time. I have no use for the room besides storage space, and I open the door to find just that. A few boxes are set up against the back wall. The bed is still made like it was the day I moved in. Mom insisted I have a full comforter set on the bed in the event company were to ever stay over but the bed has never been used. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a layer of dust just waiting to fly into the air at any given moment.

I wrap my arms around one of the boxes and carry it toward the closet. The door is shut and if I remember right, nothing is inside which makes this a whole lot easier. I can stack the boxes inside and clear out this space for whatever Austin decides to use it for. Within seconds, the space is clear and the closet door is shut again. If Mom had given me just a little more of a notice, I could have had this bed set cleaned but it’ll have to do. Austin probably won’t give a shit anyway.

I retreat back to the couch and flop down. This is most likely the last chance I’ll have to enjoy a quiet afternoon by myself for a long time. This is one of the reasons I like living alone. It’s not like my parents didn’t give me privacy, but there’s something liberating about being able to do it on your own. I glance toward my phone almost willing it to ring or something. I’m bored. I want to talk to Tamilyn but she’s busy.

My eyelids grow heavy and just as they begin to finally lose the fight to stay awake, the phone begins vibrating loudly beside me. Austin’s name pops up and I sigh as I answer. “Hey man, what’s up?”

“I’m tired of driving, I know that much. According to my GPS, I’m about five minutes away from your apartment.”

“Shit, already? I’ll stand outside and wait for you so you know which one it is.”

“Sounds good, man…and thanks for this.”

“No problem.” Austin hangs up before anything else can be said.

Five minutes? Damn, time just flew by. I’ll take him out for a few drinks and hopefully get to know my cousin all over again. I slide my flip-flops on and step out into the humid air. I should have asked him what he drives but it’s pretty much a given when a black Dodge Challenger pulls up beside my truck. The door swings open and out steps someone I don’t even recognize anymore because the Austin I remember used to pretend to smoke fake cigarettes in the candy aisle and this Austin just lit an actual cigarette as soon as his feet hit the ground.

He inhales deep and blows the smoke out. Austin removes the sunglasses from his face and tosses them inside the car. He softly shuts the door stepping toward me. “Hey, man. Long time, no see.”

He extends his hand and I shake it firmly. “It’s been a long time. Nice car.”

“Thanks.” He smirks. “I bought her a few months ago. She’s my baby.”

“Do you need any help carrying anything in?” I can’t imagine he has too much, considering the size of the vehicle.

“Nah, I’ve got it. Thanks, though. I didn’t bring anything other than clothes. I’m a simple man.” He pops the trunk and pulls out a large black suitcase and a red duffle bag. I lead the way inside. “Nice apartment, Rus. You have a girlfriend to keep it nice and clean for you?”

A laugh escapes my mouth. “Nope. It’s just me and I keep it this way.”

“Aunt Paula raised you right.” I show him to the spare room and he sets his bags down on the floor. “How’d you know my favorite color?”

He glances at the comforter and I shrug. “Lucky guess, I suppose.” How the hell could I have known he would like the blue and gray pattern Mom had picked out?

“Don’t worry, I’m going to start job hunting tomorrow. I’ll put in my fair share around here.”

“Thanks, man. Before you get all serious with this job stuff, we’re going to go have a drink tonight if that’s okay with you.”

His eyes light up. “You’re speaking my language. I need it after the drive I had today. This traffic is no joke.”

For the first time, I notice all the colorful ink that covers his arms. I’ve never been brave enough to get a tattoo. It’s not that I don’t want one. I’m just partial to the skin I have. Austin appears to be the workout kind of guy. Who would have thought? He’s not the lanky kid he was ten years ago, but then neither am I.

“Hell no, it’s not. Tamilyn finally figured out how to get through it with a clear mind.”

“Who? Oh, hell…I think I remember who you’re talking about. You and her still talk?”

“Yeah, we do. She’s supposed to be coming with us tonight.”

“Nice. How’s she been? I bet she’s turned into quite the babe, right?”

My face flushes, and I hate that I even brought her up. It’s not like I have exclusive claim to her, but she’s my Tamilyn. What the fuck am I doing? I can’t admit how I think she looks to him. It’s bound to backfire.

“She’s all right.” I shrug. In the back of my mind, I’m thinking of a million other things she is and
all right
doesn’t even begin to describe them.

“I’m thirsty. When are we going?” Austin smiles smugly. I hate it because I don’t know him well enough to know what he might be thinking.

I pull my phone from my pocket and glance at the time. “In about two hours.” I’m going to tell my mom how much I hate this idea of hers next time I talk to her.

***

Tamilyn just texted and told me she’s taking a cab up to Joe’s right now. When she knows she’s going to be drinking, she pays a cab. She refuses to get behind the wheel after even a sip of a drink and she won’t ride with anyone who has. I wish I was smart enough to be like her because right now, I’m thinking I want everything behind the bar to numb the pain and jealousy that I know will be swimming in my veins. In the back of my mind, I pray she has zero attraction to Austin. That would make my life just freaking complete.

“Hey, Austin, you ready to go?” I yell from the living room. It took me no time to get dressed. I purposely put on the polo shirt that I know Tamilyn loves. She said this teal blue looks good on me and I believe her.

“Hell yeah, let’s get going.” Austin emerges from his room wearing a shirt that’s so tight, I’m amazed he can even breathe.

I grab my keys and insist I’ll drive. Without knowing how well he holds his liquor, I don’t want to jeopardize anything. As my truck roars to life, so does the radio, and I quickly turn it down. The song Tamilyn likes is on again and it’s like I can’t escape her. She’s everywhere I turn. Son of a bitch.

Joe’s is not far from my apartment, only a few blocks, so we arrive in no time. The music from inside can be heard as my feet hit the gravel. Austin waits by the side of the truck, shuffling his feet. I’m afraid to move because any sudden movement could send my world into a tumultuous whirlpool.

“Rus! Why didn’t you tell me you were here?” Tamilyn calls out from across the small parking lot. Bile sits back in my throat begging to come up. I’m terrified but I need to suck it up. Hell, they haven’t even seen each other yet so I don’t know why I’m freaking out like such a school kid.

“Because we just got here, Tammy Lou.” I grab her by her waist and hoist her up into the air, spinning her around. She’s used to me hugging her. We hug all the time, but the puzzled look in her eyes tells me she’s not used to this. She’s not looking disgusted or anything; it’s just different, that’s all.

I set her back on the ground and she turns to face Austin. His eyes widen as he drinks her in. It’s not helping that she’s wearing a pair of shorts and some sparkly sandals. She’s not dressed up but she’s gorgeous as ever. Her hair is partially pulled back just enough that her eyes could light up the path she walks. My beautiful Tamilyn.

“Hey, I’m not sure if you remember me, but I’m Tamilyn.” She extends her hand. He grabs hold of her hand, giving it a soft squeeze.

“I remember you.” That’s all he says as he continues to drink her in. She’s just standing there smiling. I can’t wait for this introduction shit to be over so I can move on with the rest of my night.

“Y’all ready to go inside?” I turn and begin walking, not bothering to look back and see if they are following me. I’m being a dick but walking away is much easier than staying and being tortured.

The dim lights of Joe’s shine inside. Music is blaring but I block it out. I have one thing on my mind and it’s the only thing I came for. A drink.

“What can I get you, sweetie?” the bartender asks with a grin. She must be new. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her before or I just haven’t been paying attention.

“Jack and Coke, please.” I slide my credit card across to her. “Start a tab too, please.”

“You’ve got it.” She begins mixing the drink and my mouth waters. I need this right now. Maybe once I’ve had this drink, I can relax and the rest of the night can go well.

She slides the drink to me and in return takes my card. The first sip stings a little but the second goes down much smoother. I thank the bartender and turn to face the crowd inside.

“Ruston, starting without us?” Austin smirks as he stands beside me. He flags down the bartender.

Tamilyn stands on the opposite side of me just staring at me. “What?” I ask her.

She crosses her arms over her chest. “You seem upset. What’s wrong?”

“I’m not upset, Tam. I’m just trying to enjoy my drink.”

“You walked off and left Austin and I just standing there.”

“You two looked like you were talking and I didn’t want to bother anyone.”

Her eyes widen and she takes a step forward and whispers, “He was just talking to me. Are you jealous?”

“Why would I be jealous, Tammy Lou? We’re friends, that’s all.”

“Hey, Tamilyn, want something to drink?” Austin asks over us.

She glares at me. Her eyes look distant but I don’t know why. It can’t be sadness. Why would she be sad? “I’d love something. Rum and Coke, please.”

“You’ve got it, babe.” He winks. The bartender heard Tamilyn so he doesn’t have to repeat himself. He called her
babe
and it’s eating me alive.

The bartender slides the drink to Tamilyn and she walks around me and stands on the other side of Austin, leaving me odd man out. “Thank you.” She wraps one arm around his waist. A half hug, she just gave him a half hug. He squeezes her tight before letting her go. She turns to look at me and presses her lips into a thin line.

“Tam.” I wave her over, and when she’s standing a few inches from my face, I lean into her ear. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have acted that way. I want us all to have a good time tonight.”

She steps back and looks at me before leaning forward. Her breath tickles my ear as she replies, “I could never be mad at you, Rus. I forgive you, by the way. It’s cute you’re jealous.”

“Why’s it so cute?”

“Just is.” She shrugs and steps back. Her eyes are lit up and she’s smiling.

I laugh. It’s good to be myself again. I can’t let my jealousy take over, or it’s going to ruin me. It’s my fault, though. If I had told her before now how I feel about her, then maybe none of this would be happening.